The Hero's Plight
by Tomas K
Summary: Having finished all preparations for the inevitable fight with the Calamity, Link lies next to his fire and reminisces the events covering the last one hundred years. Unable to sleep, Link recalls his adventures since awakening from his slumber and tries to better understand the current situation. His mentality is grave and his objective pressing. BotW pro-canon.


Another dawn, another day. I've lost track of how long it's been: how many days have passed since I set off on this journey, this crazy adventure, this mad scheme to defeat that indescribable menace towering around the decimated castle. Yet here I stand, convincing myself that I have a chance. I think there is some truth in courage equating recklessness.

How can I measure odds that go beyond normalcy? Can I really do it? Can I really defeat this evil that threatens to destroy the rest of civilization? Is it even possible for me to kill it?

I cannot let doubt dissuade me. I must be firm with unflinching devotion. True, I am but one person, but I can at least try, right? If anybody else were given this task of saving the world, he would at least give it his best shot, I am sure.

I awoke several weeks ago, perhaps a month or more, in a chamber, which I later learned is called the Shrine of Resurrection. I was a mess, mentally, physically, spiritually. I am in no better state presently.

A voice guided me, and I followed, having no other guidance than self-conscience. The voice sounded somewhat melancholy but determined nonetheless. I did not like it. It haunted me like a dead person coming back to remind me of my faults. It was so famaliar yet so far away. It called me Link, which I suppose is a nice name. Well, anyway, I can deal with it.

I awoke a young man with no knowledge, absolutely none, of my former life. Aside from a pair of underpants, I had nothing to my name (and even that I was skeptical about). The voice told me to take a thing, a very pretty thing, called the Sheikah Slate. Aside from the bizarre "bed" I had risen from, I had never seen such a contradictory object as the slate. (Then again, I remember little of the past.)

The Sheikah Slate is a marvel of great advantages to the beholder. Such a technological feat is so unthinkable that I am inclined to rather refer to it as magical. This thing, or whatever the proper words for it are, has done wonders for me. And a damn nuisance it is!

The slate's many uses are difficult to describe, and I would sound insane to try. Perhaps I am a little unorthodox to even hold this bundle of defiance. The Sheikah Skate is really a madman's tool, but utility is the quality that abolishes prejudice. There is little I have achieved that I could have done without this relic.

Later, the voice led me to the open world where my first priority was to provide myself provisions. I was a fool to think that caring for myself was all that life entailed. A simple life was not to be mine.

At first, I was filled with joy. I immediately took to rock climbing, because I guess I had nothing better to do. I am gifted with a nimble body covered in scars, many I received recently but also many from battles I have not the faintest memory of.

I took in a breath of the beautiful wild plateau and jumped right into battle as though I were born with a sword in my hand. Then I slowly got ahead of myself and unwittingly pursued a course of events that changed my outlook. The voice revealed my true past, or the top scraping of it, and told me I must defeat a strange evil being hovering over the distant castle. It said I had slept in the Shrine of Resurrection for one hundred years.

As one might expect, I immediately wondered what the heck was going on.

Shortly thereafter, a peculiar old man requested some, er, things in exchange for a much-needed piece of equipment for my expedition. After getting what he wanted, he told me in a round-about way that he was none other than the ghost of the former king of Hryule. Perfectly normal, right?

He spoke of Hyrule. That was the kingdom that once ruled from the now ominous-looking castle. All that remained of it was a terrorizing ruin and a dead king that could still communicate. I soon questioned what sort of world I live in. Every corner I turn there is magic and supernatural things and occasions approaching the surreal. I will refrain from getting started on monsters.

The king told me something that blew my mind. He said that I, I was a former knight, the guardian of a princess named Zelda, and that this very same Zelda is now in the faraway castle holding back an unspeakable evil that has plagued this nation since its beginning. The king's ghost also alleged that Princess Zelda is the voice that guides me in my adventures. I believed him for no reason. It felt better going with his story than believing nothing.

I learned much more from a terribly old woman named Impa. Horror set in. One hundred years ago the princess and I were supposed to have defeated the Calamity Ganon but failed. We, the Hylians and other races, were betrayed by the absurd technological machines of our ancestors and were defeated at the hands of our former allies. Thousands were killed, the kingdom was disintegrated, and it was all our fault; we had failed.

Failed.

Am I then a failure? I constantly beat myself with this guilt. However, I guess I did manage to protect the princess until a power awoke in her that could be used to seal away the Calamity. But still, we were too late. Our allies and machines had been killed or taken over, and I succumbed to my wounds. I basically...died.

I DIED!

The entire story makes my head spin. I died?! Then why am I alive? Is death a privilege I am not entitled to? I failed, so the goddesses resurrected me and now force me to fight the enemy once more. It is as though they are saying, "Keep trying until you get it right, dead man."

000

I still cannot believe that it has been one hundred years. The princess has been holding back the Calamity for one hundred years, and I have been asleep for the same! That's insane! What cruel prank is this the Goddesses let loose on Hyrule?

Impa practically told me, "Forget about all of it for now, and go free the divine beasts and gain strength to fight the Calamity." It sounded like it should have been easy. Well, that was Chu Chu jelly. These past weeks have been filled with the most dreadful experiences one can imagine.

Yet here I am, in what feels like years later, having successfully conquered the divine beasts, cleared a hundred shrines of testing, and done other things like establishing Tarrey Town. Tarrey Town was indeed a waste of precious time, but I cannot find it in my heart to reject people in need of help. So, yes, I have accomplished quite a bit.

One might well ask, "Did you have any fun in these adventures?" Oh, I used to enjoy it all, but that was before it became my job—before I starting remembering the past. I recollect the old days in supernatural visions. These memories come back to me in the same locations they first occurred and set me in a trance. I observe the events from an objective perspective, sometimes even seeing myself. The Goddesses certainly have their weird ways. Nothing is more emotional than receiving another one of their visions.

Slaying unspeakable horrors, engaging in heart-pumping action, and constantly getting the daylight scared out of me have done two things: given me experience that has nearly brought me to ruin and shaved years off my lifetime. Pain is not something one can really know unless given much experience with it, and I mean MUCH experience.

Everyday I am hurting somewhere different, and it seems like there is not a square inch of my flesh that is devoid of scars, scratches, and bruises. Sometimes I think, too deeply that is, and began to worry what might happen if one of these injuries proves highly dangerous. Not only would I lose time recovering, but what if I were to get into a situation I cannot walk away from? Death is not a privilege I am allowed to enjoy. What would happen if a Moblin killed me in my sleep? Would I be resurrected again? If so, I believe I have met with a terrible fate.

Yesterday, I pulled the sword—the Master Sword. I vaguely pictured it as the one that gave me this terrible responsibility. All the preparations for fighting Ganon really got started when I first seized this weapon. Because the sword chose me, a whole kingdom rests on my shoulders. That is many thousands of lives of which a large chunk have already been ended.

After retrieving the sword for the second time in my one hundred ten and some odd years of life, I took a moment to relive the rest of my memories, and THAT was appalling. So many died, and I only managed to save one who in turn saved me: Zelda, the princess. She is the one that bothers me most, haunts me most.

What she went through and IS going through are tortures no one ought to face. For years she crushed her own vitallity by thinking herself a failure. I believe no one offered her any consolation, certainly not I. Our relationship was rocky. I think she hated me, for I was supposedly a reminder of her own failures. I don't blame her for disliking that. I was a cold, stoic knight that never thought to comfort her even when she sat there crying in my arms blaming herself for everyone's deaths. Yet today I can sass with any stranger I meet. I'm such a heartless man.

Then again, not all my memories of us were bad. There were times when she voiced her concerns and sounded plainly worried and not directly upset with me. I usually listened quietly, and Goddesses, please, I hope I had compassion (yes, even on that occasion when she offered me a frog to eat, I hope I was kind).

One time I saved her life from the ruthless rebels called the Yiga Clan, and she seemed surprised, as though she never expected me to do it. I wish she would have thought better of me. She was a fine young woman under much pressure with a terrible fate. I don't know what I thought of her one hundred years ago, but I respect her now and will shortly put my life on the line to try to release her from her heinous imprisonment.

I fail to understand myself even now. Who am I? Only some boy that plucked a sword from its pedestal and tried to save Hyrule and failed? I remember Zelda once saying that my father was in the military, but I know nothing more about my family. I am just Link, Sir Link, Link; but I don't even deserve the "sir." I have yet to find myself, and Goddesses forbid, I probably never will. I have to be a new person in a new kingdom, if I manage to make that possible that is.

There are only four other people I recall clearly: the champions, Daruk, Mipha, Urbosa, and Revali. Daruk was the burly Goron that accepted me as a brother and tried his best to inspire me and Zelda. Mipha was the shy Zora that went so far as to love me and might have helped Zelda awaken her power. Urbosa was the motherly Gerudo that treasured Zelda and reminded me of the nobleness of duty. Revali was the haughty Rito that did not treat me very well, but laid down his life with the rest for the cause of good.

They're all dead now, but I spoke with their ghosts. May they rest in peace with the Goddesses. I treasure the magical gifts they gave me as tokens of their support. I really will never get the chance to know them better. Their deaths are only four of many sorrows caused by Ganon's short lived dominance before Zelda put the Calamity in check.

Most days I act like a bloodthirsty madman mindlessly blasting forward through scores of monsters. I always tell myself "Don't think." It helps. However, there are times (especially in the shrines the Sheikah made especially for me) when I must solve puzzles or find the way to defeat a strong enemy. Under such circumstances, I must be tactical; pure force cannot help me conquer the intelligent.

When I enter a peaceful place like Kakariko, I must remind myself to act appropriately and not eat like a caveman. I generally take the liberty to relax in any civilization; though it wastes time, the leisure is important to keep my sanity and health in good order. I do strange things sometimes; I know not why. Once in Hateno I found an old house about to be demolished and purchased it on impulse. I often amuse myself by collecting armor and helping people with their day-to-day problems as well.

There is some guilt involved in my travels that is not directly caused by the events of my former life. It is not simply because the princess is waiting in agony while I loaf around, but also because my methods and sources of entertainment are not always pure. For instance, to get into the all-female Gerudo cities, I masquerade as a young woman. Many a time I have accidentally robbed others of their ruppees or posessions and have tried my hand in gambling. I poke fun at Purah (the woman turned into a girl) and know that a certain someone named Paya has fallen for me because I read her diary. Some opinions might say I mistreat animals too. I am not perfect. Nobody is.

It can be awkward when girls say they've fallen for you. I don't know anybody well; I don't even know ME. There was one particularly strange revelation. There is an old bard, a Rito named Kass, that has provided me with entertainment and legitimate help more times than I can remember. He played me a song once about Zelda. In the words of Kass's former teacher, Zelda only had eyes for her the one by her side—that's me. He goes on to say that her sealing power was awakened by her love—for me.

I don't know. I—I barely remember her. Did Zelda love me or was this some legend passed down since one hundred years ago? I guess I'll never know unless I talk to her again. If she were to state this outright, my response would probably be nothing. I could never say anything to her face. I blame her eyes. Those green orbs showed so many traits: ferocious anger, fervid imagination, girly curiosity, and unmatchable beauty. She really is one-of-a kind.

Zelda is my constant inspiration. I admire her, but I find it difficult to imagine loving her without getting to know her better. She was just a girl, and I, a boy; we were tasked with saving the world and failed. Now we are doing our best to make up for it.

I have done everything possible to increase my chance of victory. The divine beasts will blast the Calamity, and I, strengthened by the shrines, will give him everything I got. The Master Sword will be my main weapon. The princess, though probably weak from holding back Ganon for so long, will be the one who will seal the evil away. The problem is that I'm scared. I admit it.

Some erroneously have stated that I have no fear, but that is not so. Courage is the ability to overcome fear, and I have much fear to overcome. There is such tremendous pressure and worry pushing down on me—so many bottled up emotions. This mission is more important than anything. It is not simply my life that might be lost nor even Zelda's. It is all of Hyrule and beyond that is counting on my victory over this terrible evil whether they realize it or not.

I should not stall any longer. I am at my peak and ready to rumble. It is time to conquer the most hideous portion of this realm. I am going to Hyrule Castle tomorrow.

I do not really have a choice.

The time to act is now. 


End file.
